Orica is one of the world’s largest providers of mining and infrastructure solutions, offering cutting-edge digital tools across explosives, blasting systems, mining chemicals, and geotechnical monitoring. With a growing suite of client-facing software products like Fragtrack, Orica needed a unified design system to improve consistency, collaboration, and scalability across teams.
Objectives
Create a Design Language System (DLS): Establish a centralised system of reusable components in both Figma and code to reduce duplication and speed up delivery.
Unify Visual Language: Bring all client-facing platforms under a modern, cohesive design standard.
Improve Cross-Team Collaboration: Make it easier for design and development teams to work together efficiently.
Support Scaling: Enable fast onboarding and consistent delivery as new teams and products are introduced.
Challenges
Designers and developers were creating duplicate components due to a lack of shared libraries.
Inconsistent UI patterns and outdated visual standards across products.
Slow workflows, low visibility, and inefficient handoffs between disciplines.
Difficulty onboarding new team members without a clear, documented system.
No single source of truth across Orica’s growing digital ecosystem.
Approach
1. Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration
We began by running workshops with team members across design, development, product, and engineering. These sessions helped us map current pain points and align on a shared vision for the system. Collaboration was key — the DLS needed to reflect the needs of everyone who would use it.
2. Research and Audit
Through internal research and hands-on feedback sessions, we assessed the state of existing products and pinpointed where inconsistencies lived. We mapped out duplicate patterns, inconsistent styling, and user experience gaps across six client-facing platforms.
3. Visual Language Refresh
The DLS initiative was also an opportunity to modernise Orica’s UI. We updated their visual language, improving accessibility, scalability, and alignment with their brand. The new visual system balanced a clean, industrial feel with clarity and ease of use.
4. System Build and Documentation
We developed a shared component library in both Figma and code, ensuring a direct line between design and development. A comprehensive documentation hub served as a source of truth — helping onboard new team members and allowing anyone to quickly access standards, patterns, and use cases.
Solution
Design Language System: A robust DLS built in Figma and code, now powering six client-facing products with a shared set of visual and functional components.
Unified Visual Identity: Updated UI standards ensure consistency, clarity, and brand alignment across all platforms.
Streamlined Collaboration: Teams now work from a single system with clearly documented guidelines, drastically reducing friction.
Scalable Foundation: The DLS supports rapid prototyping, new product development, and team onboarding — all from a centralised source.
Outcomes
Improved Efficiency: Shared libraries reduced design and dev duplication, accelerating delivery speed.
Consistency Across Products: All six digital products now follow the same design standards and visual language.
Faster Onboarding: New team members can get up to speed quickly using the DLS documentation.
Stronger Cross-Team Visibility: Designers, developers, and stakeholders now collaborate through a single, transparent system.
Modern UI: A fresh visual language that reflects Orica’s innovative role in the mining tech space.
Conclusion
The Orica DLS was more than a component library — it was a foundational shift in how teams collaborate, build, and scale. By unifying design and development under one clear system, Orica now delivers consistent, high-quality digital experiences across products and teams. The result is a modern, efficient, and scalable design ecosystem ready to support Orica’s future growth.
